Bike EXIF » Indiahttp://www.bikeexif.com
Bike EXIF is a showcase for the world's most exciting custom motorcycles, from cafe racers to bobbers to street trackers.Mon, 02 Mar 2015 17:01:24 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1World first: Harley Street by Rajputana Customshttp://www.bikeexif.com/harley-davidson-street-750
http://www.bikeexif.com/harley-davidson-street-750#commentsWed, 31 Dec 2014 17:01:42 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=19026Read more »]]>
Outside the States, the new Street is widely regarded as the most important motorcycle in Harley-Davidson’s line-up. So the bike we’re looking at here is something of An Event: it’s the first officially sanctioned Street custom from an independent builder.

That builder is Rajputana Customs of Jaipur City. They’re some 300 kilometers south of Harley’s Haryana factory—where the Street is built—and they’ve done a remarkable job.

This Street 750 was put together in just four weeks, but you’d never guess. “Given the liquid-cooled engine and snug-fitting chassis, we felt a butch-looking racer was the way to go,” says Rajputana boss Vijay Singh.

The first upgrade was the front end, which now sports Suzuki GSX-R forks with 25% stiffer springs. There’s more suspension travel than stock, helped by the removal of the plastic grill surrounding the front-mounted radiator.

To flatten the lines of the bike, the standard tank was lifted slightly at the rear and the gas cap moved to the left side.

On the right is the speedo, mounted on to the tank itself. A stripe of grey paint cleverly aligns with the fins of the rear cylinder.

The standard dual shocks have gone, replaced by a monoshock mounted to the right-hand side of the swingarm. (“It works like a gem,” says Vijay.) The monoshock also carries the compact battery and part of the wiring loom.

The belt drive system of the factory bike is gone, replaced by a chain. Rajputana have custom-machined a front sprocket, and hooked it up to a Drag Race rear sprocket in tough 7075-T6 aluminum from Zipper’s Performance.

There’s a sleek new subframe and a low profile cowl behind a quilted black leather seat. Coker tires are mounted on 16-inch Harley 48 rims and hubs, and the swingarm was modified to accommodate the larger rubber.

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/harley-davidson-street-750/feed0How to turn a Royal Enfield into a racebikehttp://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-continental-gt
http://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-continental-gt#commentsFri, 24 Oct 2014 17:01:17 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=18570Read more »]]>
With just 29 horses on tap, the Royal Enfield Continental GT is not the most likely of racebikes. But what it lacks in power, it makes up for in old-school charm.

Fresh from the factory, the GT is a dead ringer for the home-built cafe racers of old, in a more modern package. Sure, the bike is a little outgunned by today’s standards, but it has potential—as the French RE dealer Tendance Roadster has just shown.

Tendance boss Guillaume Tiraud is a fan of the Iron Bikers races, held on a circuit near Paris. Fleets of Royal Enfield Bullets battle with 1950s Norton Manxes, BSA Goldstars and Matchless G50s.

“Now we have the Continental GT in the range,” says Guillaume, ” my chances of passing the British bikes on the track are even higher than with the Bullet!”

In the handling stakes, Guillaume is pretty chuffed with the stock Continental GT frame, which was designed by Harris Performance in the UK. “It’s just perfect for race use.” he reckons. “Precise and easy to handle.” The Paioli gas-charged shocks, Brembo brakes and Excel rims help things along too.

So Guillaume decided to transform his run-of-the-mill GT into a race bike. Starting at the front, he took a Norton Manx fairing and reshaped it to fit, via a custom-made stainless steel bracket. He then installed a new set of clip-ons that sit much lower than the stock setup.

You can get the conversion in kit form, at a cost of EUR845 (around $1,000) and installing it is a four-hour job for a home mechanic.

The engine desperately needed a boost, so Guillaume has also upgraded the camshaft and valves, and remapped the fuel injection. A stainless steel exhaust system gives a little extra kick.

Guillaume’s named his GT “Vitesse”—French for “speed”—and reckons it’ll be the fastest bike in its class at the Iron Bikers events next year.

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-continental-gt/feed06 motorcycle films worth watchinghttp://www.bikeexif.com/6-motorcycle-films
http://www.bikeexif.com/6-motorcycle-films#commentsSat, 04 Oct 2014 17:01:17 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=18449Read more »]]>
The fine art of the motorcycle film has hit a speed hump in recent years. Raw and gritty paens to the alternative lifestyle are harder to find. And easy access to broadcast-quality DSLR recording has caused a rise in quantity rather than quality.

But it’s not all showers of sparks from angle grinders, or softly-spoken men with beards muttering dreamy platitudes. Here are six terrific films that we’ve enjoyed recently, including a couple of old favorites—and a very enticing trailer.

ON ANY SUNDAY, THE NEXT CHAPTER Released back in ‘71, On Any Sunday is one of the best-loved motorcycle films of all time. Directed by Bruce Brown—famous for the surf classic Endless Summer—it captured the spirit of motorcyling in a way that even non-riders could understand. And deservedly won an Academy Award nomination.

A sequel is now being readied for release, directed by Bruce’s son Dana Brown and shot using 4K Ultra HD equipment. On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter is backed by Red Bull, KTM and Skullcandy, and the PR machine is about to hit top gear.

Fortunately, the trailer suggests that the film will live up to the hype. It’ll hit theaters in the USA on November 7.

LONG LIVE THE KINGS Clement Beauvais and Arthur de Kersauson scored a king hit with this oddball six-minute documentary. Released two years ago, it follows the lads from Blitz Motorcycles on a roadtrip through France. Shot on Super 16 film, it’s a beguiling mix of edginess and elegance.

If you like Kings, keep an eye out for Beauvais and de Kersauson’s new full-length documentary, The Greasy Hands Preachers. It’s just premiered at the San Sebastian Film Festival, with Orlando Bloom on board as executive producer. Early reports are mixed for that one, but we’ll reserve judgment until we’ve seen it ourselves.

TOM FUGLE If the name Scott Pommier sounds familiar, you’ve probably seen his peerless motorcycle photography—often monochrome, but always atmospheric. Pommier has now made a five-minute film: a profile of veteran builder Tom Fugle.

Fugle is one of the founders of the El Forastero outlaw motorcycle club—which counted artist Dave Mann amongst its members. But this film is about Tom’s passion for bikes, and mighty fine it is too.

WAITING OUT WINTER Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. This is Andrew David Watson’s homage to craftspeople who spend cold days inside their workshops, building and fettling, and waiting for better weather. If you’ve ever shivered inside your garage while working on your bike, you’ll sympathize.

CHENNAI TO PONDICHERRY Director Skylar Nielsen took a crew on a motorcycle tour of Southern India, and the result is as tasty as a hot masala dosa. The trip south down the East Coast Road was eye opening, and Nielsen has somehow captured the mayhem of being surrounded by thousands of cars, tuk-tuks, cows, goats, and dogs. Sensory overload at its finest.

SHINYA KIMURA—CHABOTT ENGINEERING This is the gold standard: the film that raised the bar, and every other director looks up to. It’s four years old now, but has lost none of its appeal. Director Henrik Hansen takes us on a trip into the world and mindset of Shinya Kimura, the enigmatic Japanese builder who set up Zero Engineering and now practices his craft in the small town of Azusa, California.

He’s one of the few builders who can command more than $100,000 for his work, and after watching this, you’ll see why. It’s two minutes and 45 seconds of perfection.

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/6-motorcycle-films/feed0Enfield 350: the bike that time forgothttp://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-350
http://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-350#commentsSun, 28 Sep 2014 17:01:50 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=18413Read more »]]>
For most pro builders, personal projects usually draw the short straw—relegated to the back of the shop by a steady stream of client work. Just like the “rusted out junk pile” that Californian Chris Chappell picked up a few years ago.

It’s a Royal Enfield Bullet 350, and it did a stint in Chappell Customs‘ front lobby before Chris finally tore into it. But when he did, it was a project free of deadlines, briefs or budgets. “The original plan was to build a radical bobber,” he says. “But with the little 350cc engine, it made more sense to keep it as an upright, fun-to-ride city bike.”

The actual model year of this Enfield is a mystery: the original number plate indicated 1955, but no paperwork was filed prior to 1973. “The VIN numbers on old Enfields really don’t mean much, and there are no good records we can find to verify the year,” says Chris. So, to get the bike on the road, he went with 1973.

Given its age and the state it was in, the Enfield 350 needed a full, bare-bones strip down. Which started with a total rebuild of the engine using all-new, original Royal Enfield parts. A completely new top-end sorted out poor compression—”A combo of a bad cylinder and even worse valves,” Chris reports.

Every nut and bolt on the Enfield was replaced, along with a host of other parts—except for the fuel tank, fenders and toolboxes, which Chris opted to keep. He blasted off the old paint and powder coated them in a creamy Oyster white, along with the frame. (“I left a few small dings here and there.”) Once the powder coating was done, green accents were added and the parts clear coated.

The bike is now roughly five or six inches longer than a stock Bullet 350. “We relocated the rear swingarm, from its original position to what used to be the passenger footpeg area. Our friends at Works Performance made us a custom stainless swingarm bolt with tapered aluminum spacers, to fit the funky taper of the rear foot peg holes.”

Works also supplied a set of longer, dual-rate aluminum shocks to help the Enfield negotiate urban potholes. The rear fender struts were lengthened to fit the new geometry of the rear end.

With the major work out of the way, Chris started poring over the smaller details: a handmade seat, grips and saddle bags in a rich leather with a cream stitch. “Seemed only fitting for a classy look to accent the cream and green color scheme,” he says. “I made the saddle bags myself … that was a first!”

The seat mount is a hand-made part too; Chris CNC-routed a Royal Enfield logo into the aluminum, before mounting the seat on 3” springs. The CNC router was also put to work on the bespoke front number plate and fork badge. All the aluminum bits were then meticulously polished, “to bring back the original luster that was buried under years of oxidization and corrosion.”

The Enfield was then re-wired with updated components—including a smaller regulator and rectifier unit, and a new coil. Chris installed new gauges, lights and a set of “M” bars—with adjustable steering stops to prevent them from connecting with the tank.

Despite the extensive mods, the little 350 is still not quite the perfect ride. “The drum brakes are poor, the right-side shift is odd, and you feel like you’re wide open on the throttle most of the time.”

“But regardless of its lack of power, you somehow feel like you’ve gone back in time. And it’s just fun as hell to ride around. The long, baffled muffler and the sound of the single cylinder thumping along always makes you smile!”

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-350/feed0Sideburn Royal Enfield Bullethttp://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-bullet-2
http://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-bullet-2#commentsTue, 01 Apr 2014 17:30:23 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=17224Read more »]]>
After 50 years of production in India, Royal Enfield had worked hard to update their range, first with a unit construction engine, then fuel injection and after all that the only thing on Sideburn magazine’s mind was making the 2009 Bullet Classic look like a mid-‘60s flat track racer.

Only half the frame and the engine remains from the original bike that was supplied to Sideburn by UK Royal Enfield specialists, Watsonian-Squire.

Lots of parts came from friends. Or we already had them, and were waiting for the right bike to come along. The alloy tank was custom-made for a friend’s dirt track race bike, but he was never happy with it, so we bought it for a fraction of having one made. The Bimota YB9 triple clamps and Paoli forks were £120 off eBay.

The wheels, Excel 19-inch rims with Honda CRF450 hubs and Maxxis tires, were bought from a friend who was selling his dirt tracker. The tractor headlight was a gift; so was the bobbed Indian Sport Scout rear mudguard and the rear four-piston Performance Machine caliper.

The hardtail loop is by David Bird from Lowbrow Customs, but we had Co-Built shorten the bottom rail to retain the stock wheelbase. Co-Built also made the stainless exhaust.

CFM of Lincolnshire, UK, did a great job of making all the very disparate parts fit together, fabricating brackets, footrest hangers; finding used Japanese master cylinders, switchgear and footpegs on the cheap; repositioning the battery; making the rear fender struts; cutting down the original twin seat and converting it to act as a sprung saddle. Steve Adams then covered it with a panel of real stingray skin.

The biggest challenge was converting the ignition to work with the Mikuni carb, rather than fuel injection. EFI is good, but we really wanted a simple loom and no fuel pump for this bike. Rupe’s Rewires made the loom.

When this bike was built there was no off-the-shelf kit to convert the ignition from EFI, like there is now, but CFM worked it out. The brake discs were special orders from Discacciati in Italy.

The final touch was the Ornamental Conifer paintwork on the blue base, one of the first customer bikes he painted.

The bike has competed in Sideburn’s Dirt Quake event twice, finishing on the podium in the Street Tracker class both times.

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-bullet-2/feed0Royal Enfield Musket V-twinhttp://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-v-twin
http://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-v-twin#commentsMon, 25 Nov 2013 17:30:57 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=16430Read more »]]>
The modern-day Royal Enfield has many charms. But a rumbling exhaust note is not one of them. And nor is the ability to smoke rubber, however gently.

Ohio-based Aniket Vardhan has found a solution to this problem. There’s no substitute for cubic inches, so he’s mated two 500cc Enfield motors together to create the Musket V-Twin. It’s an extraordinary engineering achievement, and Vardhan now has a solid backlog of enquiries from potential purchasers.

The story begins when Vardhan left his hometown of Delhi, India, in 1999—partly to take a Masters in Industrial Design, and partly to live closer to the sound of Harley-Davidson V-twins. As the years passed and he took up a teaching post, he developed his Enfield V-twin concept, first as a 700cc model and then as a 998.

Vardhan describes the Musket as “a slightly ridiculous venture.” But in reality, there’s nothing ridiculous about it. Vardhan is far from your typical amateur engineer—aside from designing and blueprinting the engine, he also oversees the sand-casting of the crankcases, the machining, the assembling of all the custom parts, and even the final polishing and fitting.

More importantly, he hasn’t messed with the tried-and-test Enfield internals. Even the tappets are stock, so that vintage bike nuts can adjust them at will. The 59-degree twin is as simple and strong as the Bullet 500 single built in the Chennai, India factory.

The result is well beyond a factory level of finish, as you can see from our exclusive images. Just check the copper oil lines and the beautifully assembled exhaust system. The modified frame is also in keeping with the vintage style, retaining the classic single down-tube. Stop by a Musket 998 in the street, and you’d think it was an ‘official’ model.

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-v-twin/feed0Royal Enfield by Tendancehttp://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-by-tendance-roadster
http://www.bikeexif.com/royal-enfield-by-tendance-roadster#commentsWed, 29 May 2013 17:30:07 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=15601Read more »]]>
In Paris, the main Royal Enfield dealer is Tendance Roadster. They’re based in Levallois-Perret, near the old Clément-Bayard factory where Citroën built the 2CV. Dealer principal Guillaume Tirard is a fan of custom bikes too, and after a weekend getting bogged down in mud during a forest ride, he decided to modify a Bullet Electra Deluxe.

Compared to a stock Royal Enfield, Tirard’s bike has more considerably more power, more grip in the dirt, and less weight. He’s installed Tendance’s ‘Solution F Engine preparation,’ a kit that gives 27% more power via a high compression piston, a hotter cam, and a remapped injection system (and new control unit). The custom exhaust is slim and sits high, scrambler-style—a marked contrast to the unusually low placement of the standard exhaust.

The tank, headlamp and side panels have been refinished in matte black, and the tank fitted with classic knee grips. The wheels are now Akront-type Morad rims, shod with Mitas E-09 enduro rubber. New aluminum fenders have been installed, with a small rack behind the seat for carrying a daypack. Offroad bars create an airier cockpit and give the rider more leverage.

The chunky taillight and indicators of the stock Royal Enfield have been replaced by slimline items more in keeping with the retro feel of the bike, and the large two-up seat has given way to a lightweight brown leather sprung seat.

They’re relatively simple but well-chosen mods, and they completely transform the character of the rather staid Bullet Electra. Top marks for a thoughtful build—and I bet it’s très amusant to ride as well.